emergent v. emerging

There is much confusion that abounds today involving the emergent and emerging church. Some have little or no understanding of the movements and assume that the term emergent and emerging are all the same. However, there is a vast difference between the two. I personally am a part of the "emerging" church which basically encompasses a philosophy of ministry in which we embrace the importance of contextualizing the Gospel and making it relevant to the ever changing culture in which we have been placed for such a time as this. However, we hold fast to the unchanging truth of the Gospel and view theology as something that is static and unchanging with time and culture. The tension lies in the fact that we have a timeless message in the Gospel that requires timely methods to continually contextualize and make the Gospel relevant to the lives of an ever changing culture. So, the church is and should be emerging in culture with the end goal of being biblically faithful, yet culturally fruitful.

The "emergent" church on the other hand stems out of a post-modern world view and employs a post-modern epistemology. Epistemology may be defined as a philosophy which drives the way in which one views and interprets knowledge. If one is to be biblically faithful and culturally fruitful, it is imperative that you operate from a biblical epistemology. The Bible teaches a Jesus-centered, Gospel driven epistemology in which the Scripture is the lens through which the entirety of life is to be viewed and interpreted including culture. The emergent church operates on the basis of a post-modern epistemology in which they teach a man-centered, culture driven epistemology in which culture is the lens through which the entirety of life is to be viewed and interpreted including the Bible. They see theology as something that is dynamic and changing with time and culture. They also employ a "trajectory" theology in which they believe God simply set in motion theology knowing that culture would change and that our faith is ever "evolving".

I hope that in this brief synopsis that you can see there is a vast difference in the two. One employs and teaches a timeless Gospel that it is biblically faithful and seeks to be culturally fruitful (e.g. Acts 17) and the other teaches a pseudo-false Gospel in which man is the center focus and culture is the driving force or power.

To be blunt, I feel the "emergent" camp is teaching heresy and have abandoned the Gospel altogether. The very definition of idolatry is removing God/Jesus from His proper place of central focus and replacing that focus with someone or something else. The instant that we remove Christ and His completed work on the cross we become guilty of idolatry.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 15:3-4 that "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.." The Gospel is of "first" importance. There is nothing MORE established in doctrine or principle than the Gospel! If you shift your focus from the Gospel to "anything" you are obviously replacing it with something else. This is also known as "idolatry". The "emergent" camp is teaching a "false-gospel" in which man and culture hold the key to unlocking and interpreting the Bible in the "evolution" of our faith.

My friend and member of this group Josh Glidden recently wrote on his blog about this very issue. He rightfully cites Hebrews 5:11-14:

"About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."

I feel the "emergent" camp is a movement that will pass simply based on the fact they don't have a foundation on which their entire theological framework is built. For them to define anything or take a position on any issue or doctrine would go against the post-modern epistemology in which they employ. However, there are those within the "emerging" church that do wish to build their theological framwork on the the foundation of Scripture in which we uphold as our final authority by which all doctrine and positions are drawn and filtered.

The "emergent" camp would consider themselves part of the "emerging" church as well, but there are as many as three streams within the "emerging" church. However, beyond attempting to make the Gospel relevant the "emergent" stream are revisionists as well They are attempting to redefine the Gospel and replaced Jesus and his completed work on the Cross revealed in Scriputure and elevated man and culture as the ultimate authority in life.

I would like to encourage each of you to be vigilant and take the time to examine the Gospel and really stand firm on the Gospel and never cave to man and his philosophy. The Bible has determined our world view and all "philosophy" should be drawn and built on the solid foundation of Scripture with Jesus and the Cross maintaining our focus. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)


Some key proponent of the "emergent" camp of theology include the likes of Rob Bell, Brian McClaren, Tony Jones, and Doug Pagitt. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with their work, but they are gifted men and tend to be more "subtle" than "blunt". Be cautious and weigh everything with Scripture (Acts 17:11-12 e.g. Bereans).

Resources:

For a great lecture on the emerging church, listen to Mark Driscoll at this link:
http://www.sebts.edu/chapel/chapelMessages.cfm
It's on the third page on the date of September 21, 2007.

Also for a good example of "emergent" thought check out Josh's blog at:
http://joshuaglidden.blogspot.com/
Check out the article entitled "...often against people who are really onto something."

of first importance

Oh to truly allow the cross to take hold and literally ravish, destroy, and kill! For centuries the cross has stood as the iconic emblem and symbol of our faith. It is the epicenter of history unfolded and continues to stand as the single most important point through which the entirety of history revolves. It is foolishness to those who are perishing, but the power of God for salvation to those who believe. Do I believe? Have allowed the cross to utterly annihilate who I am? Have I truly grasped the importance of what occurred upon its rugged and splintered structure? The cross is bloody, horrendous, and detestable. Somehow, beyond comprehension, Jesus chose this to be the setting on which he would take my place and pay the penalty for my sin so that I can be purchased or redeemed and declared righteous before my God, in whose image I am made, whose standard is nothing less than holiness. Jesus Christ has lived the life I couldn’t live, and died the death I should have died—both physical and spiritual. This is the Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says that “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” This is of FIRST importance. The Gospel should remain at the forefront of not only what we believe, but it is also who we are. The moment we remove our eyes from the cross of Christ is the moment we replace it with something else. This is also known as idolatry! We must keep Jesus at the center of our entire essence and being. The Gospel is what should define our lives! Can we ever truly move beyond this? The moment we move beyond the Gospel is the moment we turn back to religion. Religion is doing anything apart from the completed work of Christ and yields nothing less than moralism and works-based self-righteous pride. There is nothing good in us. We are wicked to the core of our being. Jesus is the only thing that can be deemed good in us. The cross must become the sole milieu by which we live our life if we are to truly embrace the Gospel as First importance. I find it interesting that later in the same chapter Paul says, “I protest, brothers, by my pride which I have in Christ Jesus, I die every day!” The cross is a place that represents death! In Galatians Paul says that “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Like Paul, we must work out the implications of the Gospel in our own life before we can even begin to proclaim it to others. Am I at the point to where I can say, “I die every day!” There must be a death before there can be a resurrection. So what does the cross mean to you? Paul says the following in Galatians 6:14: “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” What is it that you boast in? The cross must remain the center of who we are. We must die every day to ourselves so that we can be resurrected by the power of the Spirit to fulfill our calling as ambassadors for King Jesus! Has the cross wrecked, dare I say destroyed your life? The Gospel paints a clear path to call all men to repentance. It calls the religious to repent of their pride, moralism, and works-based self-righteousness. And it also calls for the irreligious to repent of their sin and wickedness. I hope and pray that you continue to work out exactly what the Gospel is and means to you in life. Is is just a message or is it truly “Good News”. Think about the word “news”. News is something that is in the past and already completed. The truth is that Christ has already paid our debt by His death on the cross and we should never forget the price He paid, but more importantly the love He gave. The tomb is empty, but the cross still stands as a constant reminder of salvation to all who are willing to humble themselves and take the march to the foot of its bloody soil and die so we can truly live!

I will close with a quote from A.W. Tozer which says the following:

“The old cross is a symbol of death. It stands for the abrupt violent end of a human being. The man in Roman times who took up His cross and started down the road had already said good-bye to his friends. He was not coming back. He was going out to have it ended. The cross made no compromise, modified nothing, spared nothing; it slew all of the man completely and for good. It did not try to keep on good terms with its victim. It struck cruel and hard, and when it had finished its work, the man was no more…So the cross not only brings Christ’s life to an end; it ends also the first life, the old life, of every one of his true followers. It destroys the old pattern, the Adam pattern, in the believer’s life, and brings it to an end. Then the God who raised Christ from the dead raises the believer and a new life begins”

Taken from The Radical Cross: Living the Passion of Christ by A.W. Tozer

Religion vs. Gospel

I've had the privilege this past week to attend my second Acts 29 bootcamp in Raleigh, NC. It is always good to sit under the teaching of men who are committed to not compromising the gospel for mere religion which results in pride, but is ultimately shallow and lacks the power of transformation that can only occur through the Spirit. This is a constant battle that we each face on a daily basis. I recently reviewed an article by a contemporary theologian named Timothy Keller. If you're not familiar with his work, I highly recommend becoming conversant with the resources he offers. I will attach a link at the end of this post and recommend beginning with the article the centrality of the Gospel.

The following is a post adapted from Tim Keller entitled Gospel vs Religion. Please prayerfully consider the following:

Religion: I obey--therefore I am accepted.
Gospel: I am accepted--therefore I obey.

Religion: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
Gospel: Motivation is based on grateful joy.

Religion: I obey God in order to get "things" from God.
Gospel: I obey God to get God--to delight and resemble Him.

Religion: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or myself, since I believe, like Job's friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
Gospel: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while He may allow this for my training, He will exercise His Fatherly love within my trial.

Religion: When I am criticized I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a "good person". Threats to that self image must be destroyed at all costs.
Gospel: When I am criticized I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a "good person". My identity is not built on my record or my performance, but on God's love for me in Christ. I can take criticism. That's how I became a Christian.

Religion: My prayer life consists largely of petition and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment.
Gospel: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with Him.

Religion: My self-view swings between two poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel humble, but not confident-I feel like a failure.
Gospel: My self-view is not based on a view of my self as a moral achiever. In Christ I am simul iustus et peccator—simultaneously sinful and lost yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad he had to die for me and I am so loved he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time. Neither swaggering nor sniveling.

Religion: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work. Or how moral I am, and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral. I disdain and feel superior to ‘the other.’
Gospel: My identity and self-worth are centered on the one who died for His enemies, who was excluded from the city for me. I am saved by sheer grace. So I can’t look down on those who believe or practice something different from me. Only by grace I am what I am. I’ve no inner need to win arguments.

Religion: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I may say I believe about God.
Gospel: I have many good things in my life—family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc. But none of these good things are ultimate things to me. None of them are things I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.

Adapted from Tim Keller.

I hope this serves as an heart and mind opener to the constant reminder of the battle we continue to fight based on works, merit, and piety. Please feel free to respond if you feel led!

The link I promised is:

http://www.stevekmccoy.com/reformissionary/2005/07/tim_keller_arti.html

Stay strong!

Michael

the Gospel

Recently, I've spent a significant amount of time going through the book of Galatians. I find it very sobering and a constant reminder of what it means to live through the power of the Holy Spirit which enables us to live a life that is based on Christ's righteousness rather than our own. Paul was astonished and baffled at the Galatian believers who were being infiltrated by the Judaizers who were preaching a totally false pseudo-Gospel that required the Gentile believers to undergo circumcision and observe the law of Moses in order to obtain salvation. This is classic religion which requires man to observe or work for his righteousness in order to appease a holy God. This is also known as pride and usually results in a life of despair or misery because you are trying in your own strength to achieve the impossible. Religion says, if I obey God he will love me. The Gospel says, because God loves me I can obey. It's only because Jesus Christ chose to come down here to this fallen planet, take on the form of a human, live a perfect life, die the death on the cross that I should have died taking my place, shedding His blood to appease a Holy God that requires nothing less than righteousness, defeating death once and for all and making atonement for all my sin past, present, and future, who has thereby based on my belief through faith credited my account with His righteousness and given me the Holy Spirit as a guarantee that I will someday be fully glorified spending an eternity in His presence in which He is now seated at the right hand of the Father awaiting the proper time in which He will return for me and resurrect my body to spend an eternity in worship and adoration at His feet. You see, not only is salvation by grace alone through Jesus, but sanctification is by grace alone as well. I can do NOTHING to appease God even after I become a disciple of Jesus. It is based solely on the completed work of Christ being applied to my account. Jesus lived the perfect life I could not live. Jesus fulfilled the Law that I could not keep. Jesus paid the cost and penalty for the sin that I could not pay. Jesus conquored a death that I could not conquor. It's all about Jesus and when I stand before God one day the only reason I will be there wil be because of Jesus. That is my only answer. I have done nothing in my life to earn any favor with God whatsoever. It's simply based on the fact that when God views my life He views Christ's righteousness.

Can you see now why Paul was so astonished? He had given the Galatians the full Gospel and they had acknowledged it at one point in time, but were so shallow that they were once again turning to a works-based religion! We are GUILTY of this as well. Every time we do anything to try to earn favor with God or man we are reverting to a false Gospel. The Gospel is a lifestyle that must be constantly lived out of each and every day. That's why we have been given the Holy Spirit. To convict us of our underlying false motives so that we in turn can confess or acknowledg our sin, repent and turn away from our sin, and bask in the grace of God by living a life of obedience by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the true Gospel! Let's live it out each and every day!

dysfuncitional independence day family chaos

This has been one strange Independence Day! It all began last night. In the midst of trying to balance two jobs, I discovered well into the night that I was actually supposed to open at Starbucks at 4:45AM. Distraught, I rolled over went to sleep only to be rudely awakened by my alarm clock three and a half hours later. So I roll out of bed, throw on my clothes and I'm out the door. I arrive promptly at work only to discover that the person who was supposed to open with me is nowhere to be seen. I begin investigating, making calls, trying to see what in the world is going on to no avail. I only ended up with my district manager's phone number and after waiting for an hour I give him a call and left a voice mail message pleading my case and letting him know I would be on my home and basically going back to bed. My end is covered. I've done everything I can do.

Home. Good times. Slept in until 9:30 AM! I now drive to my primary job in South Charlotte at REI. It ends up that the 4th apparently is a popular day for wealthy families with lots of screaming babies to come shopping. (It's not that I dislike babies, or rich people, it just annoys me when they won't discipline their kids) So, in the midst of this very busy day at work a man asks me about a product, so I wonder on back to the warehouse and I'm fully in the back where it's "Employees Only" and I hear this lady just start ripping into me. Dumbfounded, I turn and she is livid--"I have been waiting a lot longer than the man you just helped. I just bought these three items and they're the wrong size. I can't believe that man. He knew I was here first and I've been waiting a lot longer than he has. I need, this, this, and this. And I need to exchange this.....blah, blah, blah..." What can a man do in this situation. What I really wanted to do was follow her back out onto the sales floor and bow down on my hands and knees and confirm in her eyes that she indeed was the center of the REI universe in which everything orbits and revolves and every one else is merely minions in her Kingdom which she apparently created for all other staff and customers to stop, take notice, and worship the queen. But, I bit my tongue off and swallowed it and said, "I'll be with you shortly" ;o)

So, what really saddened me was the fact that she had three very young, innocent children who witnessed the entire event unfold. What kind of example was she setting? How can a mother treat strangers in this manner and expect her kids to grow up and do otherwise. The state of parenting in this country is in flux. We as believers have been called by God to model in the home love and humility. There is next to no humility in parents today. They literally think that they're kids are angels and are not evil and can do no wrong and discipline has been re-labeled child abuse. I'm a firm believer that a majority of this falls back on the men. It is the man's God-given role to be a leader in the home. This includes loving God; loving his wife and caring and providing for her needs spiritually, emotionally, and physically; loving his kids enough to sit them down and explain to them because he loves them he wants to protect them there are consequences to your actions, but at the same time re-inforcing the bond and pouring into them the fact that his love is unconditional. God is the ultimate example of a loving Father.

Let's face it, I'm not "expert" on the topic of parenting considering I have no kids of my own, but I definitely have the desire some day to have a family and be a father. Days like today remind me how much of a challenge and responsibility this entails. So to all you Moms and Dads out there that are going the extra mile, I just want to say good job! If I could pat you on the back I would, but you definitely deserve more respect. It is my prayer some day to follow in the steps of those who have gone before me and modeled what it is to first and foremost love Jesus, love wife and family, love ministry, and live life to the fullest. So to my parents, thank you for not giving up on me and always loving me enough to let me have it from time to time growing up. It paid off in the end. To my close friends out there who have been blessed and privileged to have families and children, keep up the good work! You will some day have your reward as you take advantages of those moments, God-given, which will echo an eternity. Stay strong!

committed?

Commitment. A very common word that is thrown around loosely in day to day conversations. What does it truly mean to be committed to something. In the world of sports to not fully commit to an action or decision is always detrimental to what the result or outcome may be. No matter what, he must be faithful to the decision he has made in order to experience any sort of success. I've recently been reading a book by Ed Stetzer titled Breaking the Missional Code. He has some interesting statistics which I would like to share:

• "The percentage of Christians in the U.S. population dropped 9 percent from 1990 to 2001"
• "The American Religious Identification Survey 2001, released by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) showed that the percentage proportion of Christians in the U.S. has declined from 86 percent in 1990 to 77 percent in 2001."
• "The number of unchurched has doubled from 1991 to 2004."
• "A Barna Group study explained that since 1991, the adult population in the U.S. has grown by 15%. During that same period, the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 million to 75 million--a 92% increase!"

To quote Stetzer, "Among evangelicals, true spiritual commitment seems to be lagging. For example, born-again Church members divorce at a higher rate than the unchurched." This is staggering. When it comes to the second most important commitment one could ever make, we as the church are the leading example of breaking commitments or promises. Why is this? I feel that believers today have a very warped view of what it means to be committed. Commitment is ultimately a choice one makes. It's looking at a given situation and knowing that even though it may require sacrifice, heartache, or trials, I will choose to remain committed to who I am. Commitment is an identity as well. Take marriage for instance. When you commit to your spouse, you take on their identity as well as your own. Thus the name change. I will go out on limb here, but I truly believe that some believers are more in love with the thought or concept of being married than to the person they actually marry. Dating in our society doesn't help the cause either. We grow up with the idea that we date just to "have" someone rather than thinking about the bigger picture of marriage and the person we are marrying. After all, divorce is merely a crutch to fall back on just as if we can just "break up" in a dating relationship. I believe that if believers took a more serious approach to even dating, we would learn a lot more of what it means to be committed to someone. Ultimately, however, I feel a lot of the problems with commitment fall back on a non-existent commitment to God. Think about the cost of commitment. God has bestowed upon us a new name. We have a new identity when we truly commit to him. Being committed to God is choice we must make on a day to day basis. It requires sacrifice. Sacrifice of our time and money. Sometimes it may even require giving up our sleep on occasion or food. Lack of commitment is by far one of the most deadly weapons that has infiltrated the church.

"According to Christianity Today, 'The Barna Research Group reports that in the United States about 10 million self proclaimed, born-again Christians have not been to church in the last six months, apart from Christmas or Easter." WOW! What are you committed to? In Luke 14, Jesus says three different times that you cannot, cannot, cannot be my disciple if....You love people more than me; if you place priorities ahead of me; if you place possessions ahead of me; and even if you make your plans apart from me. I understand that we all have commitments ranging from work, school, family, and even friends and spouses. But ultimately are you committed to Jesus first? I am soo convicted as I even write this article because I know that I have fallen short in all of these categories at some point. May we choose to remain committed disciples of Jesus even when it requires sacrifice.

wHo I aM

who i am

Fallen. Depraved. Broken. Lost. Hurting. Searching. Seeking. Doubting. Lusting. Jealousy. Rage. Angry. Pride. Arrogance. Lying. Slander. Gossip. Hate. Envy. Strife. Abandoned. Abused. Beaten. Cut. Bleed. Cry. Cursed. Dark. Fear. Apathy. Condemnation.

...to name a few.

WHO I AM

Accepted. Loved. Purpose. Conviction. Repentance. Confession. Joy. Complete. Peace. Access. Patience. Gentleness. Goodness. Prudent. Freedom. Righteous. Conquorer. Heir. Salvation. Spirit. Ambassador. Mission. Humbled. Sobered. Passion.

Thank you Jesus for not seeing me for who i am but for WHO I AM.

le peep and kinetic canvas

For the first time in quite a while, I have somehow managed to lose major "man" points. I suppose I let my guard down, but it's no excuse. It all began last Sunday after church. Some friends and I decided to go grab some lunch. Seeing how I was graced with the company of three young ladies, we settled on a locale that hales by the name "Le Peep". That should have been a red flag right there. I suppose it's a lame American attempt to cover the likes of French cuisine, but in all honesty I couldn't bring myself to even consider ordering anything off the majority of the menu without sounding moderately gay. Dishes that were named after the likes of "Slick Chic", etc.

[By the way, I just remembered this part, but when I went in to place my name on the wait list, I proclaimed "NORMAN" and the lady abruptly replied "Muhammed". Umm, I've never got that one before. You know Norman is a very French-esque name (unfortunately)...Normandy and the Norman's of the middle ages lived in France]

I decided on ordering the most masculine item I could locate on the menu and proudly proclaimed "I'll take the BACON CHEESEBURGER, please." Now that's man food--greasy and fattening. I know I shouldn't put junk like that in my body, but I couldn't bring myself to order crepes or a "slick chic". I already was praying my boys wouldn't find out about this...

So, that began this onslaught of a downward spiral...

A couple nights ago I received a phone call from a friend iviting me out to a "show" at the local university. So, you know I'm thinking play or drama worse case scenario. It's called the "Kinetic Canvas". We proceed into this hall that looks like an opera house, so I'm thinking I could possibly handle opera for at least thirty seconds, but it get's worse. This is perhaps that most man-point degrading event I've ever attending. It ends up it's an all out "ballet" performance show--tights and all. WOW! Co-ed, no comment.

After the first scene, I slipped out for a restroom break and discovered that they don't allow you back in until the next scene is over. The scene or "pieces" as I discovered they're called take the upwards of fifteen minutes. Salvation! If you ever go to one of these events, men, just slip out conveniently for a "break".

What do I make of all this. I started contemplating what it was like to be out of your "comfort zones". I was slapped with two doses where I felt like I could not function as a true man. But this is perhaps to my demise. Manhood does not exist on where I eat or what shows I go to, but rather its a matter of the heart. Christ went out of His comfort zone's often and eventually went all the way to the cross to bear the sin of the entire world--past, present, and future. However, before His life culminated in His death and resurrection, He was constantly challenging people to go outside of what feels most comfortable. He was even accused of being a drunkard and a "friend" of sinners. You see, being a "man" or a "woman" of God is not determined by image. True men are men after God's own heart. They lead by following Christ's example.

Maybe this last week was God's attempt to humble me in this area of my life. It worked!

That's not to say I'll make a habit of it, I just realized that I need to be willing to go outside my comfort zones to reach the lost as well. So, men, lets take one for the team from time to time and learn what it's like to be men after God's own heart.

Here, here!

mortify

"For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live" Romans 8:13

I believe one of the hardest issues to deal with once you become a follower of the Way is the fact that sin still co-exists in your flesh with the Spirit. How is it that we are to deal with this disease or cancer that is always making it's mark in the midst of our calling to be ambassadors of the Most High? Perhaps that's the key--"we" can't deal with it, but by God's grace through His Spirit we are able to declare war on our flesh. I've recently been going through a book I picked up entitled "The Mortification of Sin" by a Puritan author named John Owen. This book happens to be a 176 page book on this very issue dealing with the verse afore mentioned.

"Be killing sin, or it will be killing you." The more I meditate on this issue the more it begins to become more clear, yet more complicated all in the same regard. You see, it is the duty of all believers to declare war on our flesh. Make war! Think on this for a moment. It is during time of war that all senses are heightened. When you realize that the enemy is real and the threats are fatal, you tend to question each and every move--pre-meditated or planned. Wars involve strategy and planning, but it also requires vigilance and training. The battles against the flesh are won in the mind by the Spirit. In the words of Owen, "Indwelling sin always abides whilst we are in this world; therefore it is always to be mortified." We cannot escape the reality that sin will always make itself available and known through our flesh until "that which is mortal is swallowed up by life." Christ has achieved the victory of "sin" and "death" with His atoning death on the tree in my place. His righteousness has been credited to my account and my sin was credited to His account and the penalty has been paid in full based on my belief and faith that I cannot do it on my own, but need a Savior to intercede on my behalf to appease the wrath of a Holy God whose standard is nothing less than unadulterated holiness. I have a righteouseness that is not my own just as Christ conquered my sin that was not His.

Fortunately, Chirist has given us the gift of His Spirit to combat this evil force sin. It is through the Spirit that victory may be achieved in this life. It is a matter of the mind and it must be in connection with the Spirit. Sin must be destroyed at the root. For if you spend all your time worrying about specific sins or struggles, you may never get to the root of the issue.

So, brothers and sisters, I ask that you join me in this declaration of war on this entity we call sin. Put on the Spirit as we seek to be killing sin, or sin will be killing us. Stand firm!

Link to a great song that goes along with this idea:
http://rss.marshillchurch.org/~r/mhcmusic/~3/38852663/Destructor_TSF_061008PM07.mp3

veritas vos liberabit

“But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” - Galatians 2:3-5

Paul in this passage is in the process of defending his apostleship and has just completed verifying his credentials based on direct revelation from Jesus Christ. The church in Galatia is in a very vulnerable situation. The Judaizers had infiltrated the church and were declaring a different gospel than the one presented to them by Paul. They were proclaiming that one must adhere to the Mosaic Law in addition to the grace found in Jesus Christ. Paul adamantly states that this is not the case and goes back to the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 which declared that salvation is by grace alone and not by works in any case or sense.

According to John MacArthur, “Titus was a Gentile, and to have had him circumcised would have undercut the gospel of grace and made him a monument of victory for the Judaizers.” This being the case, it is probable that Paul intentionally brought him along to Jerusalem to make this point. Jerusalem was the home for the apostles of the early church and if they did not require him to be circumcised, then the Judaizers had nothing to stand on.

It is obvious that the false brothers were planted in the church by Satan. The Greek word for false brothers is pseudadelphos which has been interpreted as “sham Christians” (NEB) and “pseudo-Christians” (Phillips). In fact, these “brothers” had developed a sort of hybrid faith that was neither Judaism (because they pledged allegiance to Christ) nor were they Christians (because they demanded circumcision and obedience to the Mosaic law for salvation.).

Later in the same letter, Paul would declare that “if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” (Galatians 5:2-4)

Is it possible that we as a church have fallen away from this grace? Is the gospel that we live out on a daily basis truly built on grace or do we opt to add stipulations of our own in order to appease those that we deem worthy. To add a single work or deed to the gospel, living or spoken, is to nullify or vitiate grace.

I believe that the Judaizers really did believe that they were teaching the right thing, but it became a “man” centered gospel rather than a “Christ” centered gospel. It was based not solely on the grace of Christ, but required action and observance in order to maintain that salvation. That in turn enslaved the believers in a works based salvation which is futile and never enough to please a God that requires nothing less than righteousness.

So, where is it that true freedom lies? Liberty and freedom are a major theme of the entirety of the New Testament. Romans 7:6 says that “…Now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.” Again, in 2 Corinthians 3:17 states that “the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” And finally, Jesus Christ, our Messiah, says himself that, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

You see, once we are set free by the grace of God, we are no longer in bondage to the slavery of sin. The freedom does not lie in the fact that we have a license to sin, rather we have the freedom not to sin but to become slaves of righteousness.

In conclusion, the part that I love about the passage I opened up with is where Paul says that “we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel may be preserved for you.”

There are certain things that we as believers and the church must be willing to stand for and not yield even for a second. This includes pillars of our faith and the gospel. But, in the same note, we must be wary of legalism which was displayed in the days of Paul in the Judaizer camp. But I know that there are issues that we can very easily fall into that will bring out this biased system based gospel. May we be vigilant and humble when it comes to proclaiming and living a pure gospel that is not tainted by false motives and corrupt teachings. Stand firm!

poetry annonymous

Poetry. Some people love it, others disdain it. I'm really not sure where I fit into the whole scheme of things, but tonight I found myself in the midst of a crowd of individuals that definitely love it. I worked most of the day and had plans to come home, clean up, then go out and spend some peaceful time in the Word at a local coffee joint (let me interject here that although I work at Starbucks, I prefer to go to more low key locales so I can stay a little more focused on what I'm studying, or so I thought--and Starbucks still has better brewed coffee). Anyways, back to tonight. I've been going through the book of Galatians and God has been teaching me a ton. I love the book to begin with and could write a huge dissertation on what I'm learning, etc., but I won't bore you tonight. So, I'm doing my thing, sipping on my coffee, journaling my thoughts, examining the text, cross-references, you know, really getting into it. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see a man carrying in a speaker. "Hmm, I wonder what's about to go down here tonight?" I thought. So I'm sitting at this table for four on a booth-like bench that stretches the lenghth of the room to accomodate several other tables adjacent to where I'm sitting. The man returns with another speaker, then a microphone, then a clip-board, then a stack of books. Slowly the tables begin to fill up around me with a very "philosophical" crowd that appear as if they read Nietzsche on a regular basis. Here I am, Bible-Journal-Commentary sprawled out all over the table when I look up and one of these "philosophical" looking gentleman, white beard and glasses pushed down on his nose, asks if he could sit down at my table. I obliged, and to say the least, I went ahead and packed up my stuff because I knew it was going to be futile from then on out to attempt to study. I don't know if you've ever had the privilege to go to an open poetry event, but you should definitely check it out at least once in your life.

I am surrounded by individuals at this point that are scurrying frantically over notes, and books, and poems. One guy sitting at the table next to me was listening to a recording on a casette tape. From what I could make out, he was trying to memorize a poem in Polish. I actually overheard him speaking with a fellow poetry lover that he had invested a significant portion of his previous year learning Polish fluently so he could understand this one poem for himself.

(Time Out)

[It occured to me at this point that "poetry" was the god that these individuals worshipped. They were so diligent in preparation and research and dedication to the point that this one individual actually learned Polish to interpret this poem. I began to feel saddened for these people that had invaded my "peaceful" place in which I had hoped to get some studying accomplished. How many believers today have this type of dedication that these poetry lovers exhibit. This was their "church". They spent so much time and preparation to "fellowship" with like-minded individuals. I began to feel convicted. What if believers were that dedicated to the Scriptures. What if we spent a significant portion of our time dedicated to learning Greek or Hebrew. Something to think about.]

Back to poetry night. The man that sat down at the table had noticed that I was reading my Bible when he arrived. He asked me if I was a religion major and I shared with him the fact that I had studied theology. The first thing he asked me was if I thought Paul was a Gnostic, then he informed me that Jesus had actually asked Judas to betray Him because he was his number one disciple. I attempted to combat that theory in Luke where he states that Satan entered Judas before his betrayal. Long story short, I realized that I could only give Him the truth that I have been commisioned as a Christ follower to proclaim. I gave him a very clear presentation of the gospel and was very adament that Christianity is not "works-based" in any form and that is what separates it from all other religions in the world. I'm not sure if it had any impact, but he did tell me I had a "good" mind whatever that's supposed to mean.

I was tempted to get on the microphone and read Ecclesiastes but the slots were already filled up. Maybe next time!

hammer and chisel

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." This blog is dedicated to all those whom I have been privileged to cross paths with on this side of eternity. Those who have had the courage and the strength along the way to confront me when I'm wrong and continue to love me despite my weaknesses and shortcomings. Those who have gone out of their way to make an impact on the areas of my life that continually need developing. I would not be the person I am today without you. I am truly thankful from the bottom of my heart that God has seen fit to place people in and around my life to protect me, encourage me, but most of all make me a better person by being honest and letting me have it from time to time.

There's a story about a young boy that was walking on his way to school one morning and he happens to look into his neighbors yard and spots a massive boulder of granite. Curious, as most young boys are, he approached his neighbor and inquired about the large boulder. The old man, whom had a full white beard and wrinkles around his eyes and lips, responded that it actually wasn't a boulder at all, but it happend to be a lion. The young boy, confused as he was, shook his head and walked on to school. Each day, the boy could not help but notice the diligence of the old man swinging his hammer into the back of the pick and chipping away at this stone for hours and days on end. The boy slowly noticed that the boulder began to take on a shape. Indeed, each day the stone began to look more and more like a lion, until one day the boy walked by and he almost fell over in fear, because he was looking at the most life-like sculpture he had ever encountered. There was a beautiful lion in all it's glory looking right at him. A full mane, eyes shining, and teeth exposed. The young boy was awe struck. The old man approached the boy and took him back to the day which the boy first saw the boulder and began to speak. "You know son, there was lion inside this stone the whole time. I just simply had to chip away every part of the stone that wasn't part of the lion."

I feel that this is true of our lives as Christ followers. You see, Christ chooses to chip away every area of our life that is not part of what He is. This may take many different forms, but He sees us as that completed lion in all its glory. Some day we will be just like Him, but it takes friends and those willing to chip away at those areas that aren't part of Christ. Although the strikes of the hammer may hurt at times and the scars may not heal right away, you will be a better person because of it in the long run. In fact, 2 Ti 3:12 says that "all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." It's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when" if you truly desire to live as Christ.

I probably don't say this enough, but I truly thank God for each and everyone of you and I probably don't express that enough. I love you and perhaps you won't ever know how much until we are completed in Christ that one day and we can reminisce all those blows that we dealt each other out of love and respect and care for one another. So, please, by all means, keep swinging that hammer! I need it more than you could ever know!

Discover Your Roots! (repost)

[I recently picked up a book that I read a while back and began thumbing through it. It's one of those books that you know had an impact on you, but you don't remember how much until you refresh yourself. Anyways, its a book titled Constantine's Sword. If you ever get the time, I highly recommend it. Here's a post that I wrote a while back the first time I read it!]

Okay, so I'm really into this book I've been reading of late--Constantine's Sword. I don't know if it's where I lived in Israel and feed off of Jewish history or just because it's an awesome book and it's rockin' my chacos right off my feet (and yes I still where chacos in the witer--it's good for the soul). Anyways, It's a pretty big and wordy book and I'm just now finishing up the part that deals with New Testament origins of this whole Christian-Jewish conflict. Believe it or not, many of the first century believers were Jewish to the core. People don't realize the history/social context that the gospels were written in. There were numerous internecine battles/conflicts between differing Jewish sects. Christianity at that time was merely a "sect" of Judaism as far as the Roman empire was concerned. So, when the Gospels/Pauline epistles were originally penned, they were written with a polemical purpose in mind. The kerygma that the authors were trying to proclaim was done so in this "Jewish" sectarian controversy in mind. So, when we fail to realize that the "Jews" that killed Jesus were merely written by Jews referring to "Jewish sects" (Essenes, Pharissees, Sadducees, Sacarii, Qumran communities and the like, etc.) there is a "supersessionism" that takes place whereby the "Christians" have replaced the "Jews" and the new has replaced the old, etc. It was never inteneded to be this way. Christianity is merely a fulfillment of Judaism and an extension of the original Jewish faith. Believers today do not know their roots and this is to their shame. How is it that anti-semitism came to the point that six million Jews were annihalated at the hands of Hitler in the Shoah? The whole time this was happening the "Christians" sat back and were silent. But, when it came to 70,000 "Christians" that were in place to be slaughtered by Hitler, they stood up and protested and Hitler refrained. Many believe if the same would have happend in support of the Jews, the Holocaust may have never happend.

So, I challenge you on this point. Study your roots. Find out God's plan for the "church" and his plan for "Israel". Study the history and social context during the writing of the NT. We can only learn from the past and history is always doomed to repeat itself. May we never forget. L'chaim!

Tabernacles

The Feast of Tabernacles is the final of three large holidays that occur during the annual Jewish calendar. Occuring during the fall each year, this feast was commanded by God as a time of joy and celebration. It took place after the final harvest and all the hard labor was over. Along with Passover and Pentecost, the Feast of Tabernacles was to take place in Jerusalem to celebrate not only God's provision, but His presence as well. During this feast, the participants were commanded to build booths or "tabernacles" if you will and live within their walls for the entirety of the holiday. This was to commemmorate Israel's time in the wilderness and to dwell on the fact that God was there during their time of need and provided. The picture of a tabernacle is used throughout the Scripture to illustrate the presence of God. In John 1:14 says that "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." The literal interpretion of this says that Jesus literally "pitched His tent among us" relating to the picture of the temporary dwelling of God in the tabernacle during the years of exile in the wilderness of Sinai.

Think on this with me for a moment. 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 says the following:

"For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but aht we would be further clothed, so taht what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who prepared for us this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee."

This is mind blowing. Just as the Spirit of God dwelt in the very tabernacle of the exodus years, He dwells within our bodies (tents) as a guarantee for our permanent dwelling in heaven. Just as the Jews rejoiced over the fact of the provision and presence of God during the feast of tabernacles, how much more should we as followers of Christ rejoice in the fact that His very Spirit dwells within us. Where His presence dwells, there is great cause for celebration.

I know I take this fact for granted on a daily basis. Father, help me not to lose sight over the fact that Your very presence and Spirit dwells within me, just as it dwelt within the tabernacle of the Old Testament. You are still the same God that lead the nation of Israel in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Please guide me in that way! You provided for Israel during the exodus and I know that You have promised to provide our needs as well. I celebrate your provision and presence tonight! Amen.

chronicle (repost)

[I was looking through some of my older posts the other day and I came upon this one I entitled chronicle. It reminded me once again of how desperate and dependent I must be on my God and Savior Jesus Christ. This is my heart revealed...]

The Truth will set you free indeed! I no longer stand in condemnation before my God and Master! He has forgiven me of all my sin--past, present, and future! I am no longer in bondage to this force we call sin! I am a new creature! I am restored back to what I was originally created for--to glorify and reflect God's glory! He continues to chip away every area of my life that is not like Christ, until one day when I stand before Him, I will be like Him! I am a citizen of heaven! He chooses not to view me for what I am here on this earth (aka a sinful human being), rather He sees Christ in me and for who I will be some day when I stand before Him. I have a mission! I have been commissioned by Him to live my life in such a way that represents Him to the unbelieving world! "Go into all the world and preach the gospel". This is a high calling, but how many times do I misrepresent Him? How many times do I allow my pride get in the way of the opportunities presented to me each day to share my faith? How many people will I have to look in the face with tears in my eyes and with no excuse tell them I'm sorry for not telling them the answer to why they had a void in their life that nothing would fill? How many souls have I let slip away without taking the time to go out of my way to build a relationship with the outcasts? I am guilty, guilty, guilty! Every day I allow these opportunities to slip out of sight and I blatantly misrepresent Christ to these souls I encounter! Do I really believe that every knee will bow before God? What am I doing to really make a difference? Jesus loved me so much that He was willing to experience separation from His Father or Abba for the first and only time in His eternal essence and being. My sin was laid on Him and He paid the price for my soul with His blood. The least I can do is give my life to Him fully! Go wherever He wants me to go! Do whatever He wants me to do! Maybe it means I will go without the luxuries of a good paying job! Maybe I will have to suffer physically or be ridiculed publicly! But so be it! "Whoever desires to live godly will be persecuted!" That's a promise! I am a man who has lived for twenty-three years without fully giving every area of my life to Him! I worry about things that I shouldn't worry about! How many times do I pray without faith? How many times do I read the Bible not really believing that God is speaking to me? I have a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe! I can "come boldly before His throne" anytime I please! That's a privilege that many of the Old Testament prophets, priests, and patriarchs didn't have! Better yet, His Spirit lives within me! I am commanded to be filled with the Spirit! The very Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives within me! Why do I doubt? Please, God, give me faith! Give me passion! But most of all, give me a desire to love! I cannot help but be drawn to you! The more I know you, the more I don't understand! But at the same time, I cannot help but stand in amazement that you love me! And I "know" that you present to me so many opportunities to represent this love to others! But I choose to spit in your faith and abuse the grace that you have given me so freely! God forbid! But for some reason, you continually draw me back to you! Everytime I give into the passions of men, you stand ready to receive me back into your arms with outstretched hands showing me the scars! Need I see more? You took upon yourself the punishment that I should have received! I should be damned to spend an eterninity in Hell! You chose to experience the separation from God for a temporary time so that I would not have to spend an eternity in separation paying for the debt that I rightfully owed! I don't understand! This blows my mind! What can I ever do to repay you! Even my "righteousness is as filthy rags"! I cannot possibly earn favor with you! It's futile! There's only one thing that I can do! Take what you have given me and live my life in such a way that other's can see You living in me! There's nothing in me that is worthy! But you are worthy! You chose to come to this earth so that I could catch but a glimpse of what it is to love my brothers and sisters, outcasts and sinners! You showed me what it meant to speak to a known whore at a well and have the courage to open your mouth and proclaim to her that only You can satisfy and to go and sin no more! You showed me what it meant to be accused of being a "wine-bibber" and a friend of sinners! You took the time to get to know these souls! You saw them not for who they were, but for who they would become complete in your love! You showed me what it means to surround yourself around a group of believers who were committed to Your cause--the Gospel! You showed me what it meant to weep and cry over souls that would not accept you, and a dear friend that had died! You showed me what it means to be beaten to a bloody pulp, stripped naked, spit on, humiliated, nailed to a tree, but ultimately proclaim--"Abba, forgive them, for they know not what they do!". Just as God made His appeal through Christ, You are making your appeal to man through me and the body of Christ! I cannot do this on my own, but You are continually taking me by the hand and showing me that I am not alone. You have given me parents and a family who have taught me to love You and Your Word! You have given me friends devoted to You and Your cause and like "iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." I believe that You have given me a wife someday that will be devoted to You and Your cause and together we will be commited to growing closer to You and what You have! You have given me time! Precious time to take each second and make it sacred to take what is temporal and turn into the eternal! I am on this earth to impress no one! I am only here to be vessel in Your hands and accomplish what You have, so that one day or moment I can stand before you and here you say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant! Enter now into the joy of the Lord!" As I continue to live this paradox called life, may this forever be my prayer, Amen!

vintage Gospel

This past summer I had the opportunity to serve in the San Juan mountains in southwest Colorado at a Christian camp. The experience had a huge impact on my spiritual outlook and perspective. Thanks to solid leadership, I was able to study the huge issue of what the Gospel is and what it means to every follower of the Way. Put simply, the Gospel is what Christianity is and should be about. Without, the Christian life is reduced to a mere works based religion and you may as well just put it on the shelf with Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism, take your pick. At the center of the Gospel lies the God-Man Jesus Christ. Based on His work that He completed on the cross we no longer have to strive to obtain a works based salvation. Put simply, Christ came to redeem us, or buy us back if you would, from a terrible position of certain damnation. He did something that we could never do in and of our own power. He layed His life down in our place so that we don't have to spend an eternity in total separation from our Father.

In todays realm of Christianity, I feel we have lost in a sense the beauty of the Gospel. In all reality, it should be lived out each and every day. Especially in Western life and culture we expect to have this "spoon fed" Christianity and feel as if we attend church once a week and decide to pray for our food twice a day, then we're alright with God. In a positional sense, sure go on with your apathy and keep sucking on that baby bottle. Things start to get a little tough and you remember, oh yeah, God. What can He do for me? We rarely take a serious look and ask ourselves, what can I do for Him? It seems as if we must lose all faith in ourselves before we can place all of our faith in Him.

With all this said, I would like to encourage all of you to take a look at the book of Galtians in relation to what we're facing today. This is the only letter that Paul penned in which there is no mention of commendation for the recipients. A lot of it had to do with the fact of how serious the matter was at hand that Paul was dealing with. Search it out, I feel you'll be truly blessed.